Crate-machine.



M. GLBASON.

CRATE MACHINE.

APPLIOATION rum) AUG. 21, 1909.

961,954, Patented June 21, 1910.

@ /AWM war/5.4%.

MICHAEL GLEASON, OF HAMILTON, OHIO.

CRATE-LIACHINE.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MICHAEL GLnAsoN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hamilton, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvements in Crate-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to crate machines of the class adapted to form a continuous web of slats with strands of wire for being constructed into crates of desired sizes for the shipment or storage of fruits or other substances, and the objects of my improvements are to provide means for moving and main taining the slats under a yielding pressure against a fixed stop; to provide means for spacing the slats a predetermined distance apart; to provide means for making a space of greater width between the slats at predetermined intervals in the length of the web, and to provide simple and durable construction and assemblage of the various parts for securing facility of operation and efficiency of action. These objects are attained in the following described manner as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan with parts removed of a crate machine embodying my improvements; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section on the line a-a of Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a front elevation with parts in section; Fig. 4, a plan, and Fig. a longitudinal section of the wire twisting mechanism; and Fig. 6, the guide plate in the raised position above the twister plate.

In the drawings, 1 represents the frame, 2 the driving shaft provided with a driven pulley 3 and with an idle clutch pinion 4. A clutch member 5 splined on shaft 2 is normally maintained disengaged from pinion 4 by means of a spring 6 and is movable into engagement therewith by means of the yoke lever 7 A wire 8 connects the lever 7 with an easily accessible foot actuated lever (not shown). The cam shaft 11 is provided with cams 12 and with a large spur gear 13 in continuous mesh with pinion 4, said spur gear is formed with a segmental internal gear 14 adapted to engage with and drive the pinions 15 and 16 alternately together with the respective shafts 17 and 18. A twister shaft 19 1s intermittently actuated from shaft 17 by means of sprocket chain connections 21 therewith and the feed driv ing shaft 22 is actuated alternately in relation to the twister shaft by means of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed. August 21, 1909.

Patented June 21, 1910.

Serial No. 514,010.

sprocket chain connections 23 of shaft 18 therewith. A twister plate 24 secured to the frame is provided with a series of resilient jaws 25 for automatically clamping the slats 2G in their upward passage therethrough, and with a series of bearings 27 for the usual bifurcated form of twisters 28 which are journaled therein. Said twisters are each provided with an actuating rod or shank 29 which carries the usual spools 30 for the strand wires 31, said shanks being in continuous engagement with the twister shaft 19 by means of miter gear connections 32 therewith.

The gravity spacing plate 33 secured at its respective ends on slides 34 and provided with a series of slat guides 35 is vertically movable at intervals by means of the fulcrumed levers 36 under the action thereon of the 16S1)6Ctl"6 cams 12 as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 2 and (3. A plunger 37 for feeding the slats 26 is mounted to slide in slots 39 and 40 of the feeding table 41 and connected by means of a link 42 to one end of the oscillating arm 43 which is pivotally secured at its opposite end to the frame at 44. A crank shaft 45 having miter gear connections 46 with the feed driving shaft 22 is provided with a pitman 47 which is movable through an eyebolt 48 swiveled in the oscillating arm 43 to the extent permitted by the adjusting nut 49. A coil spring 51 encircles the pitman between the adjusting nut 52 thereon and the eyebolt 48 for maintaining the plunger 37 with the slats 26 under a yielding pressure in contact with the fixed stop 53 as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3. A series of spacing hooks 54 pivotally secured to the spacing plate 33 are each actuated by a spring 55 with its nose 56 over the edge of the slat being raised by said plate, serves to regulate the width of the space between said slat and the slat directly thereover by contacting therewith. In the descent of the spacing plate said hooks automatically disengage from the slats and by contact with the twister plate are maintained in a position from interfering with the feeding of the slats lengthwise between the guides 35. Different sized spacing hooks may be used for making spaces of difierent widths or for making the spaces wider at one end than the other for preparing a suitable web for tapered or conical shaped crates.

In operation, the plunger moves a slat between the guides and in contact with the stop under a yielding pressure. The spacing plate then raises the slat above the twisters Where it is maintained by means of the clamping jaws during the twisting of the strand wires. The spacing plate has now been permitted by the cams to resume its normal position for the admission of another slat and the operation is successively repeated until the web is of suflicient length, when by the omission of a slat additional twists may be made in the strand wires and a wider space formed for separating the web into desired lengths.

Having fully described my improvements, what I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. A crate machine comprising a feeding table formed with a slot, a plunger movable longitudinally in the slot, an arm having one end pivotally secured at a fixed point, a link connecting the plunger with the other end of the arm, a driven crank shaft, a pitman actuated thereby, and adjustable means for yieldingly connecting the pitman with an intermediate portion of the arm. Y

2. A crate machine comprising a feeding table, a plunger longitudinally movable thereon, an intermittently driven crank shaft, adjustable yielding connections of the plunger therewith, a series of twisters, means for actuating them alternately with the crank shaft, and a stop for limiting the movement of a picket by the plunger.

3. A crate machine comprising a twister plate secured at fixed points, a series of re silient clamps mounted thereon, a series of twisters journaled in said plate beneath the respective clamps, a gravity spacing plate slidably mounted above the twister plate, a series of slat guides thereon, a plunger for feeding the slats between said guides, an intermittently driven crank shaft, adjustable yielding connections of the plunger therewith, cam actuated lever mechanism for lifting the spacing plate, and means for actuating the twisters during the inaction of the plunger and after the spacing plate is in the elevated position.

4:. In a crate machine, the combination with a twister plate secured at fixed points, a series of twisters journaled therein, a series of resilient clamping jaws secured on said plate and projecting above the respective twisters, of a. gravity spacing plate slidingly mounted over the twister plate, a

series of slat guides thereon, yielding mechanism for feeding a slat longitudinally between the guides and driven cam and gear mechanism for alternately raising the spacing plate and actuating the twisters.

5. In a crate machine, the combination with a twister plate, a series of twisters journaled therein, and a series of resilient clamp- ED. H. JONES, R. S. CARR. 

